Comments on: Motives and memories… https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:41:18 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: DanS https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27772 DanS Mon, 14 Oct 2013 11:50:53 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27772 ...and fighting the good fight. …and fighting the good fight.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27766 bowser Mon, 14 Oct 2013 04:01:55 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27766 They paid for college, there was a certain amount of prestige, I believed in the honor of my country, I believed in the mission, and as Dan says, the camaraderie. Without that people wouldn't fight. And to be honest, there was a fear I was afraid to not confront. A series of fears. Was I good enough, could I take it, would I buckle, run, hide, was I a 10 percenter? I wanted to know, I was afraid to find out. And then came a harsh reality, with a disillusionment as deep as the belief was high. And that's a different story. They paid for college, there was a certain amount of prestige, I believed in the honor of my country, I believed in the mission, and as Dan says, the camaraderie. Without that people wouldn’t fight.

And to be honest, there was a fear I was afraid to not confront. A series of fears. Was I good enough, could I take it, would I buckle, run, hide, was I a 10 percenter? I wanted to know, I was afraid to find out.

And then came a harsh reality, with a disillusionment as deep as the belief was high. And that’s a different story.

]]> By: FrankC https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27760 FrankC Mon, 14 Oct 2013 01:13:37 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27760 I believe that those with the soul of a warrior would likely serve without dreams of glory. Adventure is in the mind of nearly all young men. Most of my friends were choosing (or not) the military before the VN war heated up. Most expected peaceful deployment or no deployment. The decisions were based on a totally different set of information back then. I believe that those with the soul of a warrior would likely serve without dreams of glory. Adventure is in the mind of nearly all young men.

Most of my friends were choosing (or not) the military before the VN war heated up. Most expected peaceful deployment or no deployment. The decisions were based on a totally different set of information back then.

]]> By: Jody https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27755 Jody Mon, 14 Oct 2013 00:33:22 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27755 The camaraderie was a whole new world. I was such a loner though, that I would realize later in life that I would never fully embrace it. I find it extremely difficult to embrace individual relationships...but in the big picture of all that is, I am quite at home. The camaraderie was a whole new world. I was such a loner though, that I would realize later in life that I would never fully embrace it.

I find it extremely difficult to embrace individual relationships…but in the big picture of all that is, I am quite at home.

]]> By: DanS https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27750 DanS Sun, 13 Oct 2013 22:56:11 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27750 No warrior-dreams of glory, but it was definitely an adventure. No warrior-dreams of glory, but it was definitely an adventure.

]]> By: FrankC https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27748 FrankC Sun, 13 Oct 2013 22:39:05 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27748 that the majority joined for career opportunities, scholarships, and early retirement benefits. A few might consider themselves adventurers and warriors but they are the minority. that the majority joined for career opportunities, scholarships, and early retirement benefits. A few might consider themselves adventurers and warriors but they are the minority.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27742 ER Sun, 13 Oct 2013 19:49:09 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27742 Knowing what I know now, if I had been a young man, I probably would have volunteered for The Revolutionary War, The Civil War (for the North), World War II, Korea, Desert Storm, and 9/11. But not any of the others. But those are other timelines, alternate universes, and talk is cheap. Knowing what I know now, if I had been a young man, I probably would have volunteered for The Revolutionary War, The Civil War (for the North), World War II, Korea, Desert Storm, and 9/11. But not any of the others.

But those are other timelines, alternate universes, and talk is cheap.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27741 ER Sun, 13 Oct 2013 19:31:52 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27741 So I figured the fastest way in and out was to volunteer for the draft and get it over with as quickly as possible, which meant two years in the infantry, probably in Viet Nam. I could have gotten easier, safer duty, but it would have meant signing up for at least 2, mayby 4 extra years, and I feared that more than I did being a grunt. Then I heard about the Naval Reserve that had a program of 1 year of stateside drills in my hometown unit, 2 years in the Fleet, another year of in my local unit, and two years of Inactive Reserve Status, where you are on call, but have no duty assignments. ("Just keep your seabag packed, sailor, and stay where we can find you.") I signed up and was accepted for the Reserve program just two weeks before the Navy closed it. Needless to say, a lot of people were trying to get in, the Nam was starting to get serious. That was October of 1966. In October of 1972 I got my Honorable Discharge in the mail. Patriotism and love of country had nothing to do with it. But neither was I opposed to the war on political or conscientious objector grounds. At the time, I felt dodging the draft by leaving the country or feigning illness would have been dishonest. I may be a cynical opportunist, but I do have standards. I've always felt a little guilty about missing the defining event of my generation, especially by spending the war on an air-conditioned ship, with three square feeds a day, a hot shower every morning, and a clean fartsack to crash on every night. But as Cousin Rudy (who had a similar experience) put it: "Don't worry about that. At least, we showed up." So I figured the fastest way in and out was to volunteer for the draft and get it over with as quickly as possible, which meant two years in the infantry, probably in Viet Nam. I could have gotten easier, safer duty, but it would have meant signing up for at least 2, mayby 4 extra years, and I feared that more than I did being a grunt.

Then I heard about the Naval Reserve that had a program of 1 year of stateside drills in my hometown unit, 2 years in the Fleet, another year of in my local unit, and two years of Inactive Reserve Status, where you are on call, but have no duty assignments. (“Just keep your seabag packed, sailor, and stay where we can find you.”)

I signed up and was accepted for the Reserve program just two weeks before the Navy closed it. Needless to say, a lot of people were trying to get in, the Nam was starting to get serious.

That was October of 1966. In October of 1972 I got my Honorable Discharge in the mail.

Patriotism and love of country had nothing to do with it. But neither was I opposed to the war on political or conscientious objector grounds. At the time, I felt dodging the draft by leaving the country or feigning illness would have been dishonest. I may be a cynical opportunist, but I do have standards.

I’ve always felt a little guilty about missing the defining event of my generation, especially by spending the war on an air-conditioned ship, with three square feeds a day, a hot shower every morning, and a clean fartsack to crash on every night.

But as Cousin Rudy (who had a similar experience) put it: “Don’t worry about that. At least, we showed up.”

]]> By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27740 TB Sun, 13 Oct 2013 19:11:27 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27740 A lot of people not here anymore I'd like to have seen answer that. A lot of people not here anymore I’d like to have seen answer that.

]]> By: DanS https://habitablezone.com/2013/10/13/motives-and-memories/#comment-27738 DanS Sun, 13 Oct 2013 19:07:34 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=39390#comment-27738 Curiosity pulled me in, and the sense of family kept me there. The camaraderie, the sense there was someone there for you. It got to the point where I felt that if I ever left, I would end up missing so much. Well, I eventually did leave, and I did miss a lot. on the up-side, I found a wife I truly thought I had lost, so the personal gains far outweighed any loss. Hm-m, this could turn into a long, possibly teary ramble and, for a dyslexic on an iPhone, that spells sure calamity. Cheers to all here. Curiosity pulled me in, and the sense of family kept me there. The camaraderie, the sense there was someone there for you.

It got to the point where I felt that if I ever left, I would end up missing so much. Well, I eventually did leave, and I did miss a lot. on the up-side, I found a wife I truly thought I had lost, so the personal gains far outweighed any loss.

Hm-m, this could turn into a long, possibly teary ramble and, for a dyslexic on an iPhone, that spells sure calamity.

Cheers to all here.

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